What do you think?
Rate this book
Watchmaker
Time is breaking. The city is unraveling.Only a handful of unlikely souls remember how it was meant to hold together...In the city of Kursa, time is more than a measure—it’s law.
Every hour is sacred. Every gear aligned. Every life is shaped by the divine rhythm of the stars and the capital’s great clockwork heart.
But now, that rhythm is faltering.
MATYEV, heir to the legacy of the Watchmaker, never sought power. But when the great clockwork heart of the city begins to fail, and fractures ripple through the sacred order of time, Matyev is drawn into a dangerous world of hidden rebellions, broken history, and a web of secrets buried deep within that inheritance.
LILLIAN, a battle-hardened general forged in the city’s darkest corners, wields her grief like a knife. Commanding a fragile rebellion, she knows what’s worth saving—and what must be sacrificed.
RUSHE, a young apprentice with something to prove—and something to hide—walks the bleeding edge between obedience and truth. Quietly resilient, they carry secrets that could tip the balance, a poignant reminder that even the smallest cog can hold great power.
As the gears of the city tick inexorably toward fate, these intertwined lives must navigate ancient mechanisms, forbidden knowledge, and the tangled loyalties of those who would rather see time run out. To protect what remains—and uncover what was lost—they must each decide whether to uphold a system built on secrets or risk everything to break it.
Watchmaker is a genre-bending, slow-burn queer literary fantasy of fragile alliances, quiet revolutions, and the courage it takes to reshape time itself.
Every choice is a turning point. Every silence hides a truth. Enter a masterfully woven story that will stay with you long after the last tick of the clock.
Perfect for fans of R.F. Kuang (The Poppy War), N.K. Jemisin (The Broken Earth Trilogy), and Erin Morgenstern (The Night Circus), Maeve Rose Heslin’s debut combines sweeping worldbuilding, taut political intrigue, and a profoundly human core. Her voice is lyrical, precise, and unflinching—melding beauty with brutality in a world where time is both weapon and god.
What advance readers are ★ “Inventive, intricate, and utterly absorbing—Watchmaker is a triumph of imagination.”
★ “Like the best clockwork, every part of Watchmaker clicks into place; heart, politics, character, plot. I couldn’t put it down.”
★ “A fierce and moving tapestry of found family, doomed loyalty, and the machinery of power.”
★ “This book has queer found family, underground rebellions, and secret marriages—and yes, I’m obsessed.”
★ “If you love morally gray characters making terrible choices in a clockwork city on the brink of collapse? Yeah. You need this.”
★ “I started for the vibes (steampunk + queer rep) and stayed because the characters have me by the throat.”
★ “This isn’t the chosen one story—it’s the story of everyone the chosen one would leave behind.
Every hour is sacred. Every gear aligned. Every life is shaped by the divine rhythm of the stars and the capital’s great clockwork heart.
But now, that rhythm is faltering.
MATYEV, heir to the legacy of the Watchmaker, never sought power. But when the great clockwork heart of the city begins to fail, and fractures ripple through the sacred order of time, Matyev is drawn into a dangerous world of hidden rebellions, broken history, and a web of secrets buried deep within that inheritance.
LILLIAN, a battle-hardened general forged in the city’s darkest corners, wields her grief like a knife. Commanding a fragile rebellion, she knows what’s worth saving—and what must be sacrificed.
RUSHE, a young apprentice with something to prove—and something to hide—walks the bleeding edge between obedience and truth. Quietly resilient, they carry secrets that could tip the balance, a poignant reminder that even the smallest cog can hold great power.
As the gears of the city tick inexorably toward fate, these intertwined lives must navigate ancient mechanisms, forbidden knowledge, and the tangled loyalties of those who would rather see time run out. To protect what remains—and uncover what was lost—they must each decide whether to uphold a system built on secrets or risk everything to break it.
Watchmaker is a genre-bending, slow-burn queer literary fantasy of fragile alliances, quiet revolutions, and the courage it takes to reshape time itself.
Every choice is a turning point. Every silence hides a truth. Enter a masterfully woven story that will stay with you long after the last tick of the clock.
Perfect for fans of R.F. Kuang (The Poppy War), N.K. Jemisin (The Broken Earth Trilogy), and Erin Morgenstern (The Night Circus), Maeve Rose Heslin’s debut combines sweeping worldbuilding, taut political intrigue, and a profoundly human core. Her voice is lyrical, precise, and unflinching—melding beauty with brutality in a world where time is both weapon and god.
What advance readers are ★ “Inventive, intricate, and utterly absorbing—Watchmaker is a triumph of imagination.”
★ “Like the best clockwork, every part of Watchmaker clicks into place; heart, politics, character, plot. I couldn’t put it down.”
★ “A fierce and moving tapestry of found family, doomed loyalty, and the machinery of power.”
★ “This book has queer found family, underground rebellions, and secret marriages—and yes, I’m obsessed.”
★ “If you love morally gray characters making terrible choices in a clockwork city on the brink of collapse? Yeah. You need this.”
★ “I started for the vibes (steampunk + queer rep) and stayed because the characters have me by the throat.”
★ “This isn’t the chosen one story—it’s the story of everyone the chosen one would leave behind.
488 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 1, 2025
2 people are currently reading
8 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
No one has reviewed this book yet.